Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;Tatoi&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Tatoi’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with bronze ray florets and prolific branching; natural season flower date September 13-18; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Tatoi’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around September 13-18; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant. ‘Tatoi’ is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2001. The first act of asexual production of ‘Tatoi’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in 2001 and propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows plants of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 24 in 2004. The natural blooming date of this crop was September 13-18 (week 38). The average height of the plants was 40 cm. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with bronze ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks. From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Tatoi’ is ‘Iduna’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,925). When ‘Iduna’ and ‘Tatoi’ are being compared the following difference is noticed: The difference of ‘Iduna’ and ‘Tatoi’ are (1) Color ray-florets. And (2) Color flower center (1) The ray-florets of ‘Iduna’ are more soft orange than those of ‘Tatoi’. (2) The flower center of ‘Iduna’ is darker colored than that of ‘Tatoi’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Tatoi’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

Table 1. Botanical Description of Chrysanthemum Plant ‘Tatoi’

-   Bud:     -   -   Size.—Small; cross-section 0.8 cm, height 0.6 cm.         -   Outside color.—Yellow-green 145D.         -   Involucral bracts.—2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm.         -   Involucral bracts among disc-florets.—Not present.         -   Involucral bracts color.—Green 138B. -   Bloom:     -   -   Type.—Double.         -   Height.—2 cm.         -   Size.—Medium.         -   Fully expanded.—5.5 cm.         -   Peduncle length.—7-11 cm.         -   Peduncle color.—Green 138C.         -   Number of blooms per branch.—Approx. 5 blooms per branch.         -   Performance on the plant.—5 weeks.         -   Seeds.—Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A,             1½ mm in length.         -   Fragrance.—Typical chrysanthemum, slightly. -   Color:     -   -   Center of the flower.—Immature Greyed-orange 172B Mature             Greyed-orange 172B.         -   Color of upper surface of the ray-florets.—Greyed-orange             163B to 168C.         -   Color of the lower surface of the ray-florets.—Greyed-orange             163C-D.         -   Tonality from distance.—A garden mum with bronze flowers.         -   Color of the ray-florets after aging of the             plant.—Greyed-orange 165C-D. -   Ray florets:     -   -   Texture.—Upper and under side smooth.         -   Number.—220-230.         -   Cross-section.—Flat to convex.         -   Longitudinal axis of majority.—Straight to reflexing.         -   Length of corolla tube.—0.7-1 cm.         -   Ray-floret margin.—Entire.         -   Ray-floret length.—2.5 cm.         -   Ray-floret width.—0.6 cm.         -   Ratio length/width.—Medium.         -   Shape of tip.—Rounded. -   Disc florets:     -   -   Disc diameter.—0.1 cm.         -   Distribution of disc florets.—Few, only visible in mature             stage.         -   Shape.—Tubular.         -   Color.—Yellow 11D.         -   Receptacle shape.—Conical raised. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Stamen.—Present in disc florets only.         -   Stamen color.—Yellow-green 144A.         -   Pollen.—Present.         -   Pollen color.—Yellow 7A.         -   Styles.—Thin.         -   Style color.—Yellow 13A.         -   Style length.—0.3 cm.         -   Stigma color.—Yellow-green 144A.         -   Stigma width.—1 mm.         -   Ovaries.—Enclosed in calyx. -   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor mounded and             round.         -   Growth habit.—Spherical shape.         -   Growth rate.—High.         -   Height.—40 cm.         -   Width.—45 cm.         -   Stem color.—Greyed-brown 199C.         -   Stem strength.—Strong.         -   Stem brittleness.—Not brittle.         -   Stem anthocyanin coloration.—Absent.         -   Internode length.—3-3.5 cm.         -   Length of lateral branch.—From top to bottom 21 cm.         -   Lateral branch color.—Green 138B to Yellow-green 147C.         -   Lateral branch, attachment.—Medium strength.         -   Branching (average number of lateral branches).—Prolific             with 10 breaks after pinching.         -   Natural season blooming date.—September 13-18. -   Foliage:     -   -   Leaf color.—Upper side Green 137A-138A Lower side Green             138B-139C.         -   Color midvein.—Upper side Yellow-green 147D Lower side             Yellow-green 148D.         -   Size.—Small; length 3.5-5.5 cm, width 2.5-3 cm.         -   Quantity (number per lateral branch).—15-25.         -   Shape.—Elliptic — ovate.         -   Texture upper side.—Glabrous.         -   Texture under side.—Pubescent.         -   Venation arrangement.—Palmate.         -   Shape of the margin.—Serrated.         -   Shape of base of sinus between lateral lobes.—Rounded.         -   Margin of sinus between lateral lobes.—Diverging.         -   Shape of base.—Acute.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Petiole length.—1-1.5 cm.         -   Petiole color.—Green 137A-138A.

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety “Tatoi” ‘Iduna’ Color ray-florets Greyed-orange 163B to 168C Yellow-orange 22C Color flower center Greyed-orange 172B Greyed-red 179A 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 